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Review: Laura Mvula at BBC Proms

Laura Mvula is a rare sort of talent. She can sing entrancingly well. She can play the piano. She can compose. She is striking on the eye. She is everything that is classy.

Last year Mvula took to the Royal Albert Hall stage to perform as part of the Urban Classics proms. This year, on the back of her successful debut album, she had a prom of her own.

It was clearly a point of great pride. Mvula spoke of how this was exactly the venue she imagined performing the music, of fulfilling her mother's dreams, and of being joined by her brother on stage, who was in the orchestra.

Few artists can fill the Royal Albert Hall backed by a classical orchestra, while simultaneously playing out live on Radio 1. Laura Mvula can. With her soulful, contemporary sound, it's hard to compare her to another artist. She has created her own space in the industry. If Alicia Keys and Adele had a baby, then maybe you'd be looking at something like Laura Mvula.

Her set fitted in perfectly with the grandeur and classicism of the Royal Albert Hall. In many ways, Mvula sums up why the BBC Proms is still strong in its 120th season: contemporary musicians, with timeless talent, in an historic setting.